Gravity-actuated closure device for a latch opening in a casket lid



N. UAIED CLOSURE DEVICE-F OR Sept. 9, 1958 J. DIDAY 2,850,787

GRAVITY-ACT A LATCH OPENING IN A CASKET LID Filed Dec. 17. 1957 INVENIOR. JESSE N. DIDAY BY CORBETIMAHONEKM I LLER & RAMBO GRAVITY-ACTUATED CLOSURE DEVICE FOR A LATCH OPENEJG IN A CASKET LID Jesse N. Diday, Columbus, ()hio, assiguor to Belmont Casket Manufacturing Company, Columbus,.0hio, a corporation of Ohio 7 Application December 17, 1957, Serial No. 703,441

Claims. (Cl. 27-14) My invention relates to a gravity-actuated closure device for a latch opening in a casket lid. It has to do, more particularly, with a closure device which will automatically function to close a latch-receiving opening in the flange of a casket lid when the lid is raised and to expose such opening when the lid is lowered.

Casketlids are ordinarily hinged to the body of the casket so that they swing upwardly and rearwardlyr When the lid is swung upwardly, the front sealing flange thereofis ordinarily positioned at about eye-level when the corpse is being shown therein. In this flange, latchreceiviug openings are provided which function, when the casket lid is swung downwardly and forwardly into closed position, to receive the latches or hooks of suitable pull-down mechanism which locks and seals the lid to the casket body. Although these openings are necessary for the function of the locking and sealing mechanism, they present an unsightly appearance when the lid is raised.

It is the main object of this invention to provide a closure device in association with each latch-receiving opening of a casket lid so that as the lid is raised, the opening is automatically closed and will be substantially invisible and, therefore, the esthetics of the open casket lid are greatly improved, but which will also automatically function, as the lid is lowered, to positively insure ex posure of the opening for proper reception of the associated pull-down latch or hook.

Another object of this invention is to provide a closure structure which is simple but positive in operation even though it is automatic in operation so that the opening will always be exposed for reception of the latch when the lid is lowered and there will be no possibility of the closure structure jamming the latch.

Various other objects will be apparent.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention.

In this drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view showing my inven tion applied to a casket lid which is in raised position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1 and showing the closure device of my invention in position to close the associated latch opening.

Figure 3 is a similar view but showing the latch opening exposed with the casket lid down.

Figure 4 is a detail in perspective showing the closure device and mounting means.

With reference to the drawing, in Figure 1 1 have illustrated my invention applied to a casket which includes the body section and a lid structure composed of the two half-sections 11. These lid sections 11 are hinged to the body section 10 in the usual manner for swinging upwardly and rearwardly from closed position. However, it is to be understood that my invention is equally applicable to a casket having a full lid composed of a single section.

For sealing each of the lid sections a suitable locking and pull-down mechanism is provided which is indicated -States Patent 0 2,850,787 Patented Sept. 9, 1958 ice generally at 12 and which is provided with hooks 13 that will be received in latch openings 14 provided in the forward sealing flange 11a of the lid section 11. ,As indicated in Figure 3, when the lid section 11 is down in closed position, the flange 11a thereof is horizontal and will be in sealing engagement with the flange 10a of the body section 10. Each hook 13 at this time may be projected upwardly through the associated latch opening 14. When the lid section 11 is in open position, as shown in Figure 2, the flange 11a will be substantially vertically disposed and each opening 14 will be facing forwardly.

I provide a closure structure forclosing each opening 14 when the lid section 11 is swung upwardly. This closure structure will operate on the gravity principle so that the associated opening 14 will be automatically closed when the lid section is raised and automatically opened when the lid section is lowered. The closure structure is carried by a supporting bracket 15 of elongated or bridge form which is mounted on the inner surface of the casket lidsflange 11a, being suitably attached thereto, over the opening 14, and which is provided with an opening 14a that coincides with the opening 14. Pivoted to the bracket 15 for swinging movement in a vertical plane about thepivot pin 16 are the arms of a closure-carrying plate 17 of U-forrn (Figure 4) This plate 17 is provided with-a closure section 17a which is formed on the main part thereof and which projects rear- Wardly when the casket lid section 11 is in lowered posi tion (Figure .3) but which willproject forwardly (Figure trol and weight structure 18 including a pair of arms pivoted to the bracket 15 at 19 and connected to the plate 17 by a pin 20 which it carries and which operates in slots 21 in the arms of the member 17. With the closure device in the position shown in Figure 3, the weight 18 will hang downwardly and will thereby position the plate 17 with the slot 21 horizontal and'the pin 20 will be located towards the forward end of the slot 21.

With the casket lid section 11 lowered, as indicated in Figure 3, the latch hook 13 can project upwardly through the opening 14 which will be exposed by the closure portion 17a, it being noted that the portion 17a will be spaced above and forwardly of the opening 14. How ever, as the lid 11 is swung upwardly, the closure portion 17a is automatically moved by gravity into the opening 14 so that the outer surface of the closure portion 17a is flush with the outer surface of the flange 11a, as indicated in Figures 1 and 2. To accomplish this, as the lid 11 is raised, the plate 17, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 3, will be swung clockwise about the pivot 16 by the weight 18 which will swing counterclockwise about the pivot 19. Continued upward and rearward movement of the lid 11 will cause the weight to continue to exert a positive force on the plate 17, swinging it forwardly so that the closure portion 17a will move into and fill the opening 14. The necessary relative movement of members 17 and 18 will be permitted by the pin and slot connection therebetween. Thus, there is a positive gravity force exerted by the weight 18 moving the closure portion 17a into the opening 14. As the lid 11 is swung forwardly and downwardly, the members 17 and 18 will swing about their respective pivots in the directions indicated by the arrows in Figure 2, the weight 18 swinging clockwise and the plate 17 being swung counterclockwise. This will insure that the plate 17 will be positively moved so that the closure portion 17a Will be positively withdrawn from the opening 14 and moved away therefrom so as not to interfere with projection of the hook 13 through the opening 14. It will be noted that the weight 18 and plate 17 swing in a vertical plane which is substantially at right angles to the flange 11a and that these members swing about their respective pivots 19 and 16 which are widely spaced and are on opposite sides of the pin 20. The pin 20 will move to positions on opposite sides of a line joining the centers of the pivots 16 and 19 and when it moves, past center in either direction will tend to snap the plate 17 into its final position and hold it in such position.

It will be apparent that I have provided a closure structure for each of the latch-receiving openings in a casket lid which will make the latch openings substantially indistinguishable when the casket lid is raised thereby contributing to the esthetics of the casket. It will further be apparent that the closure structure will be positively moved into closing position, as the lid is raised, but will also be positively moved away from the opening, as the lid is lowered, so as not to interfere with the proper operation of the locking mechanism.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, the principles of this invention have been explained andhave been illustrated and described in what is now considered to represent the best embodiment. However, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination with a lid hinged for swinging movement in a vertical plane and having a latchereceiv'ing opening therein, means for automatically closing said opening when the lid swings upwardly and exposing it when the lid swings downwardly, said means comprising a closure member movably attached to the lid in cooperation with said opening for movement between closing position and exposing position and gravity-actuated means for moving the closure member between said positions.

2. In combination with a lid hinged for swinging movement in a vertical plane and having a flange which will be substantially horizontal with the lid in lower position and substantially vertical with the lid in raised position, said flange having a latch receiving opening therein, means for automatically closing said opening when the lid is moved into raised position and exposing the opening when the lid is moved to its lower position, said means comprising a closure plate pivotally mounted adjacent the opening and movable relative thereto during the raising and lowering of the lid and a gravity-actuated control member pivotally mounted on said lid and pivotally connected to said closure plate to move said closure plate to close and expose the opening as the lid is moved into said positions.

3. The combination of claim 2 in which the plate is pivoted to the lid for movement in a vertical plane adjacent the opening and is provided with a closure portion for closing the opening.

4. The combination of claim 3 in which the closure plate is pivoted within said lid inside the flange thereof and is pivoted for movement in a plane substantially at right angles to the plane of the flange.

5. The combination of claim 4 in which said control member is a weight which is pivoted to the lid adjacent the pivoted closure plate for movement in a vertical plane and is connected thereto by a pin and slot connection, the pin of the pin and slot connection being movable to positions on opposite sides of a center line joining the pivots of the closure plate and the weight during the swinging movements of the plate and weight as the lid is raised and lowered.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 599,109 Pletcher Feb. 15, 1898 1,193,653. Feinberg Aug. 8, 1916 2,415,948 Hillenbrand Feb. 18, 1947 

